Update

It’s been awhile since we have given any updates, so before we share any prayer requests, here’s a quick review of what’s been happening the last few weeks:

At the very start of the “Delayed Intensification” phase in mid-January, Jack dealt with a great deal of nausea, pain and stomach issues. Thankfully, after a really difficult week, things settled down a little bit. Chemo was still having an impact on him, but it seemed a bit more manageable.

Jack's treatment includes a number of different forms of chemotherapy that are given to him at varying intervals, and Jack takes a number of different medications that fight side effects. As a result, it’s a little difficult to determine a pattern of what exactly causes problems and what exactly solves them. That said (to nobody’s astonishment), the more treatments he receives, the worse he generally feels.

In light of that, it was no surprise that last week was a fairly good week as he had a scheduled reprieve from chemo. This week though, things are likely to get tougher as he is scheduled to go in for chemo on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The four consecutive days are likely to leave him feeling pretty rotten, so our prayers for him would be as follows:

• That Jack would not have any headaches resulting from the spinal tap scheduled for Tuesday
• That the actual administration of the chemo would go smoothly
• That the side effects from chemo would be minimized
• That he would have strength and endurance to persevere through whatever side effects there are
• As always, that the course of treatment would continue to have its desired effect

As I’ve often put it in talking to people, with over two and a half years of chemo remaining, we know that the path that lies ahead of Jack is a long, bumpy one. We take some measure of comfort though that so far, he has made the progress that was intended, he’s where he’s supposed to be right now on that road and he’s headed in the right direction. Thank you for praying for him as he makes that journey.

***TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Click here 

Prayers for the New Year

Cancer and chemo are just plain brutal. Jack was blessed with somewhat of a reprieve over Christmas break. Even though he had to spend every other week at Hurley for high dose chemo, when he was home he felt pretty good and was able to go out and see friends. Things seemed not normal, but manageable. 

Last week, however, Jack started a new phase of chemotherapy called "Delayed Intensification" and it has hit him hard. Jack is a fighter but this is tough. Nausea and stomach issues are making him miserable every waking minute. 

We would so appreciate your prayers that:

• his doctors would find a way to give him some relief
• Jack would be encouraged to persevere through the next eight weeks of this phase
• the nausea and stomach issues would not continue into the next phases of treatment

As always, thanks so much for your steadfast prayers and support.

———————
THURSDAY UPDATE: Please continue to pray for Jack, but we are so very thankful that he is feeling much better today! Thank you again for your prayers.

Post-Christmas Travels

Ever since we moved to Michigan a little over twelve years ago, the holidays have always involved traveling. And more than once, that meant celebrating Christmas at home, and then hitting the road to go visit family. 

This year our travels were neither as far nor as fun as they often have been in the past. Instead of making the familiar trip to St. Louis to visit Pete's family or the familiar trip to Dallas to visit Erin's, the day after Christmas we made the familiar trip ten miles down the road to what unfortunately feels like it is becoming our home away from home: Hurley Medical Center.

This week Jack is undergoing his fourth round of four chemo treatments that require three to four days of hospitalization. Normally he would have been admitted on Tuesday, but the doctors decided it would be best to let him celebrate Christmas at home and then come in Wednesday. Upon completion of this round of treatment, he will move into the new year ready to start a new phase of chemo.

Thank you for your continued support in prayer. We currently have the following prayer requests:

• That Jack would be able to go home Friday night
• That side effects (nausea, mouth sores) would be minimal this phase
• That Jack would be able to spend enjoyable time with friends over the next couple weeks while they're home from college
• That our family would face this new year with faith and hope, and not succumb to fear and weariness

Jack Up Cancer Night

Jack Up Cancer t-shirt logo 

Supporters of Jack Up Cancer Night

We need to express our deepest and most sincere THANKS! to SO VERY MANY people for all the help Friday night. Countless volunteers, people who supplied baked goods, advertisers, numerous others, and really the whole Grand Blanc community combined to ensure that the first ever Jack Up Cancer Night was a big success! We raised over $1000 for Hurley Children's Hospital and registered 30 new people for the bone marrow donor registry. Thanks to everyone for making it such a memorable night!

Jack and his pals

Warming up, decked out in orange

Tip off in front of an orange-clad crowd

Even the mascot oranged up!

In addition to the GREAT community support that Jack Up Cancer Night brought, it was wonderful to see the following local media pick up on the story:

mLive's Brendan Savage wrote a nice piece in advance of the event.

The premier issue of Cherish Local's online magazine included a feature on Jack Up Cancer Night on page 42, followed by this video interview with Pete on page 43.

The local CBS affiliate did a story, but it doesn't appear to be online anywhere.

Meanwhile, NBC25, who you may recall did a wonderful story on Jack this summer, had a couple pieces on the event. First, they talked about it during the game highlights portion of their Friday night Hometown Hoops broadcast. Then, Sports Director Jeanna Trotman awarded her game ball of the week to the Grand Blanc community for their support of Jack Up Cancer Night.

 

ABC12 also sent out a news reporter to do a piece on the event...

You’re Invited to Jack Up Cancer Night!

You’re invited to Jack Up Cancer Night at the Grand Blanc High School boys basketball game on Friday, Dec. 21st! We can’t thank you enough for continuing to love and support our Jack, and we’d be thrilled to see as many of you as possible filling up the Grand Blanc bleachers with orange in honor of Jack’s fight against leukemia next Friday night! The Bobcats will face Bay City Western at 7:00 p.m in the Tartoni Athletic Center. Please come, wear orange and think about joining us in giving a little back this holiday season.

Here are some of the ways you can participate in Jack Up Cancer Night:

• Sign up to be a bone marrow donor at the registration table! Thankfully, Jack is not in need of a bone marrow transplant, but many who suffer from leukemia are. Registering to be a donor could literally save a life! It will only take swabbing your cheeks and about 8 minutes of your time.
• Buy something sweet at the Bake Sale to benefit Hurley Children’s Hospital. Hurley has done such a great job taking care of us; we wanted to find a way to give back to them! Please bring a few extra dollars to support their lifesaving work in our community.
• Wear orange and cheer on the Bobcats! Freshmen & JV play ‪at 4:00‬ & ‪5:30‬, with the Varsity game scheduled for ‪7:00‬.

See also: A Brief Update on Jack's Treatment

A Brief Update on Jack's Treatment

Jack has completed three of his four scheduled admissions at Hurley for high dose chemo. He will be admitted for his last stay in this phase of treatment on Monday (the 17th) if his counts are high enough. If not, he will probably be admitted the day after Christmas. We are so thankful that he has been feeling good lately and is really enjoying spending time with Grace and friends home from college. Thank you so much for continuing to pray for him!

See also: You're Invited to Jack Up Cancer Night!

Six Months

It’s hard to believe. In a strange, inexplicable way it seems like it wasn't that long ago, while at the same time feeling like it was forever ago. It was exactly six months ago today though, that Erin got a call from Jack’s doctor, telling her to take him straight to the emergency room at Hurley Medical Center, have him admitted to the hospital, and don’t take NO for an answer.

While we knew Jack hadn’t been feeling well (and had some blood tests done a few days earlier as a result), we had no idea how serious it was. And we certainly had no idea what we all would experience over the six months that would follow.

We’ve hurt, we’ve wept, we’ve pleaded for mercy. We’ve felt unbelievable love from family and friends, who have constantly lifted us up in prayer and demonstrated their support in numerous other ways, as well. We’ve met and become friends with other families whose children also have leukemia. In this, we have become a part of what one of these dear new friends has rightly called, “the very best family you’d never want to be in.”

Today, six months after we first showed up at Hurley, Jack was admitted to the hospital once more. After having six unscheduled visits throughout the summer and into the fall, this is his third consecutive time being admitted that was planned. Like his last two times at the hospital, he is getting a heavy dose of chemo that requires him to stay in the hospital for three or four days.

So as we sit in Jack’s hospital room and wait for the chemo to arrive from the pharmacy, our main prayer requests are as follows:

• That the treatment would be effective in bringing permanent healing to Jack.
• That side effects of this round would be minimal. (especially  no mouth sores) The last week or so, Jack has probably felt as good as he has at any point in the last six months (seven, really). It would be so nice if he could continue to feel good, especially as his friends begin to return home from college for Christmas break.
• That the timing of the fourth and final round of this phase would be such that it doesn't land him in the hospital for Christmas.

Thanksgiving

I have this bobblehead on my bookshelf at work. Cal Ripken was one of the great players of his generation, putting together a Hall of Fame career that included two Most Valuable Player awards and nineteen All Star Game appearances. Perhaps even more than for his considerable ability though, Ripken is famous for having played in a record 2,632 consecutive games without ever taking a day off. The previous record of 2,310 set by Lou Gehrig had stood for over 66 years, and it was universally assumed that it would never be broken--until Ripken broke it. 

I thought of Ripken this week for a couple of reasons:

1. Ripken wore uniform number eight. Jack has spent the week at the hospital receiving a heavy dose of chemo. It’s his eighth time being admitted to the hospital since he was diagnosed in June.      
2. In the same way that Ripken was renowned for his resilience and toughness, and his willingness and ability to go to battle, so Jack has demonstrated similar traits in his fight with leukemia. 

And so, as Thanksgiving morning arrives and finds my wife and son at the hospital, with my daughter and me at home. I am thankful that I have a son who is able to go to war with this dreaded disease, and is strong enough and tough enough to eventually come out the other side a victor. 

But my thankfulness extends far beyond that. I am also thankful for many other reasons...

• Thankful that I have a wife that loves our family so much that she would willingly deprive herself the comfort and convenience of her own bed night after night in order to be on hand to help care for our son in the hospital
• Thankful that I have a daughter who has graciously and selflessly taken extra things upon herself to help our family, never once complaining about the deserved attention from her parents of which she is no doubt being deprived
• Thankful that Jack is being cared for by doctors and nurses who are incredibly skilled and wonderfully kind
• Thankful that so many friends and family (and even formerly complete strangers, for that matter) have loved us so well and prayed for us so consistently
• Thankful that Jack hopefully will be coming home today (if all goes as planned)
• And most of all, thankful that the Lord is a God of steadfast love who has faithfully shepherded us through this so far, and who (I am sure) will continue to do so  

UPDATE: Jack is home as of late afternoon. We are thankful indeed.

Finally!

Each of the past three weeks, we've taken Jack in for his next round of chemo. Each of the past three weeks, his counts have been too low to proceed with treatment. 

 

Finally, today though, his counts are high enough! As a result, Jack is settled in at Hurley for the next three to four days for a pre-Turkey Day appetizer of high-dose methotrexate. We’d really appreciate prayers for a quick stay with few side effects and no mouth sores.

Third Time's a Charm?

The last two Tuesdays, Jack has been scheduled to start round two of chemo in this phase of his treatment. Both times though, his levels did not met the requisite standard to endure chemo. The first Tuesday, his platelets were low. The second one, his platelets were fine, but his ANC (which, of course, was fine the first try) was too low.

Tomorrow he will give it a third shot. Please be praying that Jack's levels all would be fine, and that he would be able to move forward with this next round.

Happy Birthday!

It’s our Jack’s 19th birthday today and we are so incredibly proud of the man God is shaping him to be. This past year we have run the gamut of emotions, from the mountaintop of senior year and graduation to the depths of cancer and chemotherapy. Jack has continually shown a strength of character to push through suffering, that frankly takes our breath away. We are so very thankful for Jack and continue to praise God for his past, his present and his future.

Waiting on Counts

Just wanted to give a quick update, as well as thank all of you for praying for Jack this past week. We so appreciate your lifting him up and your kind encouragement! The mouth/throat sores are finally all gone! We are really hoping he doesn’t have to go through that again. 

This is one tough treatment plan but he is one tough guy and was ready to tackle round two of this phase today! His platelets were too low to be admitted, though, so he has the week off. We will be headed back to the clinic next week to see if his counts are high enough for more chemo. 

Please pray for no more mouth sores next time, as well as for Charlie, Nikolas, Jayson and JT, who are all fighting the same fight to #JackUpCancer!

Asking for Prayer

We’d really appreciate prayer today for our Jack. He is really suffering from extreme mouth and throat sores from chemotherapy. His counts were high enough and he was admitted on Tuesday last week for a spinal tap and a 24 hour dose of IV chemotherapy. We were thankful to be discharged Thursday evening and Jack wasn’t feeling too bad. Unfortunately, though, he is really being hit hard now by one of the side effects of the chemotherapy-mouth sores that extend down his throat and esophagus. He is tough but it is hard to see him in pain. Thanks for praying.

Good Report

MRD results are negative! We are so very thankful for God’s mercy this morning! Now on to the next phase of chemo to #JackUpCancer.

If Jack’s ANC is high enough, he will have a spinal tap tomorrow morning and then be admitted to Hurley for 3-4 days for a high dose of chemo. As long as his counts stay high enough, he will be admitted like this every other week for the next eight weeks.

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement! Please pray with us that:

• Jack’s ANC would be high enough to begin this next phase of treatment 
• He will not have a spinal tap headache
• He will be able to get out of the hospital quickly and with no side effects from the chemo

Still Waiting...

We were hoping to have results back from Jack's MRD today. Unfortunately, the results haven't come in yet, and we probably won't hear until Monday.

Update

For the third straight week, the plan was to try to test Jack's bone marrow. When Jack went in today, our hope was that his ANC would be significantly increased from the last two weeks so that he would actually be able to get the bone marrow test.

Well, the news today was kind of mixed. His ANC had not gone up at all, actually going down a few points. Despite this, the doctors decided it was necessary to proceed with the bone marrow test. We should get results back Friday, and are hoping and praying for an MRD of less than 0.01%.

Slow Going

If it feels like we haven't been writing many updates in recent days, that's because not a whole lot has happened. Each of the last two weeks, Jack was scheduled to get his bone marrow checked, only to have the test postponed because his ANC (a measurement of blood cells) was too low to provide a representative sample. This has been somewhat discouraging for Jack and the rest of us, but we're trying to maintain a positive attitude.

Jack is scheduled to try again Tuesday, so please pray for the following:

1. That his ANC would be sufficient to complete the testing, and
2. That the test would reveal that his minimal residual disease would be less than 0.01%, enabling him to continue on his current path of treatment.

Thanks so much. We'll make sure to update you all after Tuesday's appointment.

A Little Delay

Jack went in today to have his bone marrow test done, but had a slight setback. Unfortunately, his white blood cell count was not quite high enough to guarantee accurate testing results, so the test has been put off until next Tuesday. 

As discouraged as we are by the delay, it does mean an extra week without chemo for Jack, so hopefully he can enjoy it.

Home Again, Again

Stay number six at Hotel Hurley is over and we are thankful Jack is home again, again. The last two rounds of chemo were especially tough on Jack and have landed him in the hospital two weeks in a row. Ugh! His headaches do seem to be under control now and we think we have a better idea of what was causing the extreme nausea, as well. Hopefully with some extra precautions before he receives chemotherapy, his nausea will not be as bad in the future. 

We are learning through this journey that medicine is certainly not an exact science. Everyone responds to treatment differently and from the beginning Jack has been pretty unique in how his body reacts to leukemia, chemo and low hemoglobin and platelet counts. His doctors and nurses are constantly shaking their heads at Jack’s newest reaction. Consequently, we are especially grateful for the time and thought his doctors put into his treatment. Both his doctors and nurses seem genuinely grieved when Jack is suffering and are both compassionate and wise in their care of him. We thank God for them daily.

Jack finished the consolidation phase of his treatment this week and will have a bone marrow test on Tuesday to assess his risk level for the next phase. Please pray with us that his bone marrow test results show less than .01% of leukemic cells so that he can continue treatment without radiation and without moving to a very high risk assessment. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Consolodation Coming to a Close

After his three day "bonus stay" at Hotel Hurley last week, we're glad to have Jack home. Jack will be going back in to the clinic Tuesday for his final treatment in the "consolidation" phase of chemotherapy. After that, the next step is to check where he is in terms of his minimal residual disease (MRD). Please join us in praying that the MRD would be less than 0.01%. As we have mentioned before, this would allow him to continue further phases of chemotherapy with his current "intermediate risk" assessment. They will test his bone marrow next week, and the results should be back to us at the beginning of October.

The Best Laid Plans...

Well...this week was supposed to be a little easier. After having to come to the hospital for four days worth of chemo each of the last two weeks, the protocol called for Jack to only need to come in once this week.

When Jack came in for his chemo on Tuesday, they checked his blood, and found out that his platelets and hemoglobin were extremely low. So the plan was for him to come in again on Wednesday to get a transfusion. Unfortunately, when he came in, he was neither feeling good nor looking good. That, combined with the fact that his ANC was very low (meaning his immune system was especially compromised) led the doctors to admit him to the hospital.

Please pray that...

• he would respond well to the care he is receiving and get home from the hospital quickly
• while he is in, they can get to the bottom of what’s causing his ongoing headaches, and do something to fix that.
• (most importantly) as he finishes up the consolidation phase of chemo next week, his minimal residual disease would be low enough to allow him to remain in the “intermediate risk” category as he continues treatment.

Fun at the Old Ballgame

The Cardinals only visit Detroit every sixth year in the normal schedule rotation, so it's not often that Jack gets to see his favorite team. Thanks to some very thoughtful friends though, he got a really special experience during the Redbirds' most recent visit.

With the Cardinals coming to town, fellow baseball-crazed pastor, Paul Edwards gave us two tickets to Saturday's game. From there, Mike Smith took over. Mike is one of the official scorers at Busch Stadium, and is a friend of our family. He made a couple calls and arranged for a special experience at the game, but told us he would just let us be surprised. As it turned out, we got to meet Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and pitcher Adam Wainwright. Both were incredibly kind to Jack, showing genuine concern for his well-being as they interacted with him.

The time spent with them was cool enough, but Wainwright also signed a ball and a card, and Shildt gave Jack some really sharp Cardinals gear! We can't say enough about the kindness they showed in taking time to meet with us. Thanks so much to everyone involved!

While at the Cards/Tigers game, we also got to chat with Cardinals broadcaster (and former pitcher) Rick Horton. We reached out to him, and he graciously agreed to  meet up with the two of us before the game. Rick is a great guy and we had a real nice conversation with him, in addition to him also signing a card for Jack. Thanks, Rick!

In the midst of all this, we also got an unplanned bonus when we chatted with 1968 World Series MVP Mickey Lolich. He was there for the 50th anniversary celebration of that team, and we were waiting for an elevator in the Tigers administrative offices. He gave us a little good-natured ribbing seeing we were Cardinals fans (since the Cardinals were the team the Tigers beat in the '68 Series), but he seemed to be a really nice guy too.

All in all, it was definitely an experience to remember!

A Better Week

Last week was not a great week. Jack was scheduled to begin the next four week segment of the consolidation phase of his chemotherapy. Unfortunately, his ANC (a measurement of his immune system) was too low, so chemotherapy was delayed a week. And for most of the week, Jack continued to struggle with migraines following his spinal tap the previous week. On top of that was the fact that it was supposed to have been the week that we took Jack to college. He actually seems to be dealing fairly well with that…probably better than his parents. 

This week got off to a better start. Though still dealing on and off with headaches, they don’t seem to be as persistent or severe. And when he went in for chemo on Tuesday, his levels were well above the minimum to begin. 

So if you’d like to pray for us, here’s some direction:

• This week and next, Jack is scheduled for chemo on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. The following two weeks after that he has chemo on Tuesday. The goal is that at the end of this phase, his minimal residual disease (MRD) will be below 0.01%. This is a molecular measurement of how many of his blood cells are still leukemic. If he ends up below 0.01%, then his chemo treatment will continue with him in the “intermediate risk” category. If it is above that level, then Jack gets moved into a “very high risk” classification, which would mean that the course of his treatment would have to become even more aggressive. We are really praying to avoid this because of the potentially serious and long term side effects and the radiation required at the "very high risk" level. 

• Please pray that side effects for Jack during the next four weeks of chemo would be minimal and easy for Jack to deal with. 

• As the school year gets into full swing, we are concerned that Jack’s spirits might take a dip, so please be praying for that. 

• The school year is also beginning for Caroline. If you wouldn’t mind, please also be praying for her as she begins high school. It can be hard following in the footsteps of an older sibling, and it may be especially so if teachers and students are all constantly asking about him and how he’s doing.

Thank you once more for all the prayers and support that so many of you have so steadfastly offered!

Prayer Requests for the Week

This cancer road is a long one. We are so thankful for your encouraging words and prayers. Here are some of the requests on our hearts this week:

• that Jack’s post spinal tap headache would go away (he’s had it since Tuesday)
• that his counts would be high enough to continue the next four weeks of chemo
• that Jack (and Pete and I) would be encouraged even as we watch his buddies and Grace head off to college this week and begin all the adventures we had been planning for him 
• that we would find joy in these last days of summer with our sweet Caroline before she starts her freshman year of high school

One last game of Settlers of Catan for the summer